Avatar: The Last Airbender

That's how rap beefs are started.

Though obviously there are not hard rules we can or can't discern, it's still interesting to think about the whole "spiritual vs. genetic" thing with bending.

The near destruction of the Southern Water Tribe gives you a lot to wonder about, since, the implication really seems to be that in the literal decades between Hama's capture and Katara's birth, there were no other waterbenders in the tribe.

That could imply major genetic factors; no other waterbenders being around making it much less likely for more to be born, but that obviously can't be all there is to it since, again, Katara exist. And then there was that piece of information that I think said that Sokka also had the potential to be a waterbender, but ultimately never realized it because it just didn't mesh with his personality/mindset.

And then you just have weird things like those twins in the fortune telling episode who are exactly alike, except for the fact that one is an earthbender and the other isn't.

Edited by LSBK on Jul 3rd 2020 at 7:13:43 AM

There was a pair of otherwise identical twins in The Fortuneteller that included one earthbender and one nonbender. Make of that what you will.

EDIT:Oh whoops, I didn't see your last paragraph

Edited by MileRun on Jul 2nd 2020 at 6:12:16 AM

Were anyone in Mako and Bolin's family benders?

There cousin said something about how he could be a pro-bender if he went to the city or something, so presumably he was.

They were killed by A. Firebender, so I'd assume there weren't any benders in that family aside from Mako and Bolin.

Benders are more likely to have bender children it seems, but it's entirely possible for the kids to not be benders. Heck, even if one of the parents is the Avatar it's entirely possible.

Heck, Zuko was apparently such a late-bloomer that there was initially some concerns that he wasn't a Firebender.

The creators deliberately wanted to keep the whole thing somewhat vague.

Edited by M84 on Jul 2nd 2020 at 10:13:02 PM

What I wonder about is if a group from the Fire Nation moved to the Southern Water Tribe and integrated more or less perfectly, would their descendents eventually only pop out water benders? Or would we see a random fire bender show up among the Water Tribe every now and then?

It probably would be random, in keeping with the deliberately mysterious manner of how new Benders come to be.

Which gives me the very amusing image of two water benders having a fire bender baby because one of them had a Fire Nation grandma.

That's the basis of a piece of fan-art involving Korra. Korra excitedly tells her parents she can bend, and promptly demonstrates Firebending. Tonraq casts a suspicious glance at a nervous Senna.

Edited by M84 on Jul 2nd 2020 at 10:29:54 PM

Heheh that’s funny.

It's kind of like how in MLP two Earth ponies somehow managed to have a pair of fraternal twins who were a Unicorn and a Pegasus. The dad gives a convoluted explanation of the family tree to explain it, then nervously says "that makes sense, right?"

I feel like just calling it a mutation would be the easy answer for any questions related to genetics.

Source on that Zuko story?

Ozai says so in a flashback in The Search.

They take a small ball of extremely flammable material and have them breathe on it. If it ignites, they're a firebender. It's not guaranteed—Kyoshi fails this test, which is when the tester mentions that babies can pass it—but it's apparently the most reliable way.

Likewise, the impression I got was that it's not a "fire is the most dangerous element and they're all super babies," but just that normally there's a lot of flammable material around a baby. If you know they're a firebender you can remove as much flammable material as possible, but that's impractical to do for all babies.

I mean, it's only an implication at most.

I think there were at least several other waterbenders born before Katara who were either killed or taken by the Fire Nation.

It's pretty open to interpretation.

I saw fanart for an AU where the Water Tribe took over 100 years ago, and Aang is found by Zuko and Azula, with Katara and Sokka taking their place. I can only imagine the terror of an evil Sokka with unlimited wealth and innovative technology, he would probably invent guns.

So...Varric basically?

Yeah, but I feel like Evil Sokka would be more evil than Varric.

"That's the basis of a piece of fan-art involving Korra. Korra excitedly tells her parents she can bend, and promptly demonstrates Firebending. Tonraq casts a suspicious glance at a nervous Senna."

Varric at least grew a conscious when tasked with making super weapons. If Evil Sokka is Varric, who is his Zhu Li?

x5 Hama was the last Waterbender taken during her time, but the Fire Nation continued to raid the Southern Water Tribe (Sokka mentions that the men of the tribe immediately knew what black snow meant) presumably with the intention of taking/killing new waterbenders all the while.

They only missed Katara because her mother Kya lied and claimed she was the last Waterbender of the tribe.

That's exactly what I mean.

Hama was the last waterbender taken during her time, but applying Fridge Logic, Fridge Brilliance and Fridge Horror all at once, there would be more waterbenders lying low.

Namely, the ones who are underage and are only children.

(Or more specifically, the waterbender children who were lucky enough not to be taken during the raids. Have some sweet dreams tonight with those chilling thoughts in mind.)

The Fire Nation would come back and check up on the tribe with raids, and proceed to take in any further waterbenders who grew up between Hama's generation and Katara's generation.

Edited by BrightLight on Jul 3rd 2020 at 8:20:11 PM